Choices Choices
by Tessra
Summary: Andrika and the Gboys are working as Preventers under Lady Une. When the boys make it difficult to date outside of the group, who will she chose within the group? Duo or Heero? And why does Lady Une keep pushing Zechs on her? First fic! Slight OOC. Sorry
1. The Gundam Pilots of the Roundtable

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!! No suing!

First attempt at a fic. Created an original character for fun times sake.

"Sometimes Heero I swear that you are more work than you are worth." Andrika said sarcastically as her tea steamed in the pink mug that Quatre was so insistent that she have.

"The same can be said for you." Heero said laughing at the girl.

It was all kind of a blur now how she came to be a part of their lives but either way they were happy to have her. Heero supposed that there was a part of him that loved her. There was a part in all of them that loved her. Some more than others (Duo), but that was beside the point she was here and there was nothing they could do to change things. He was happy about it. They all were. She had saved their lives more time than they could count. There were times that they counted on her coming to save the day and there were times when her coming to meet them was a waste of fuel for her. They never knew how she was always able to find them or how she always came in the nick of time, but it was eventually decided that they should meet and have a tactical discussion. Once they all met her and saw what she looked like, at the begging of Duo they decided that it was time to add a sixth permanent member to the unofficial Gundam pilots club. She fit in perfectly; she was kind, sincere, genuine, strong, and confident. She even put up with Duo and his ever persistent marriage proposals. Heero feared that another one would be coming shortly.

"Oh come on Heero, you have to admit that you are just a little happy that I am here. Just a little." She said eyeing the Japanese man in his deep blue eyes and messy looking to the untrained eye hair.

It was a year after the Mariemaea incident and the 6 of them all worked as Preventers for the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Quatre's family had bought the large estate for them and they had everything they needed right there waiting for them.

Heero smiled at her, in private he would have told her how much he loved her and how happy he was every day that she was in his life, but alas, not in front of them. Not in public. Not ever.

He smiled to her, the same as he always did. The same smile that screamed at him to say more to her, but he never would.

"So Andrika what do you say to a date tomorrow night?" Duo asked.

"Wow not marriage this time?" Quatre asked.

"Not this time. Thought I would start small." Duo said winking at Quatre.

"What did you have in mind Mr. Maxwell? She asked turning and smiling to him.

"Dinner and a movie?" Duo asked not expecting the conversation to get this far.

"Alright." She said challenging him with her eyes.

Everyone else at the table just stared at her. They each felt their jaw drop just a bit. Did Duo just ask Andrika out? Did she just agree? What was going on?

"Are you serious?" He asked rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Of course I'm serious. You have been asking me to marry you every day since I moved in here, I think it is about time I gave you a chance. It would appear that I am going to need to date one of you since every guy I try to bring home gets scared away." She said eyeing Wufei in particular.

"Hey, we lock the doors to keep the crazy people out; I don't want to lock the crazy people in." He said defending himself.

"Do you distrust my taste that much that you think I would bring a crazy person home with me. Besides the fact that you are all former Gundam pilots. If I did by some total judgment meltdown bring a crazy person home I think we would all be able to aptly defend ourselves." She said crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair.

These roundtable discussions were becoming more and more frequent in more recent days. It didn't bother any of them much. If anything it was a time to unwind after work and spend some time together in a group where they weren't killing people and worried about if the lot of them would make it home that night. More often than not they all worked together on missions; each pilot had a specialty, and they were paired with one another when the mission called for each individual expertise. Although lately Lady Une thought it would be appropriate to add another into the mix. Zechs came back from the dead requesting a job. Since Noin worked behind the scenes now he was paired with Andrika seeing as how she was the only one of being friendly and professional. If Duo wasn't such a spaz he would be the best public relations agent the Nation had ever seen.

"So if that date goes well, then how about we get married the night after that? Plane tickets to Vegas are cheap this time of year." Duo said never giving up on his quest to marry Andrika. From the moment he saw her he knew that she would be his. He needed to have her as a part of his life. He would cease existing without her in his life.

"Oh Duo I can't. I have plans." She said plainly sipping her tea.

"What? We haven't even gone out yet and you have already dumped me?" Duo exclaimed. He slumped back in his chair and sighed exasperated.

"Wait, we know everyone you know…" Quatre began.

"That's because we are everyone you know." Trowa finished.

"So who do you have plans with?" Quatre asked putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5.

"Zechs." She said flatly.

Heero burst out laughing at the other end of the table. Everyone glared at him, after he had his fill he wiped his eyes from the tears of joy and looked at Andrika, who was quite miffed at the current moment.

"Why on earth would you go out with Zechs?" Heero asked.

"I'm not going out with him. I am merely going on a goodwill mission. Lady Une asked me to go out and about with Zechs to assimilate him in a way. It's purely for the job."

"Right and I am a pretty pretty princess." Duo said sarcastically.

Andrika rolled her eyes and looked to him, "You know with you luscious cinnamon locks, a cute dress and the right make-up and we could be in business." She smiled at him.

"Only if I can get pictures!" Wufei exclaimed at the impending humiliation of his friend.

Authors Note: Please be kind in reviews. It's my first fic.


	2. The Great Wall of Heero Yuy

So here it is…chapter 2. So soon? You ask. Bah! I laugh in the face of sleep.

* * *

"Alright, that's it. I've had enough of all of you. I can only act like I am 5 for so long. After awhile I want to have adult time." Andrika said as she rose from her chair. Completely intending to bash her head against the nearest wall until whatever delusion that kept her here wore off.

Duo laughed manically as Andrika glared at him.

"You should know by now that you have to watch what you say around him. He takes everything for sexual innuendo." Quatre said for the 10 millionth time since she had known him.

"I know Quatre, trust me I know. But as I said; I can only act like I am 5 for so long. For once I want to have a conversation where every other word I say is not interpreted for 'take me now hot stud.'" She said clearly agitated.

"Why don't you come with me Andrika?" Heero said saving the day. He felt the same way 100 of the time so he knew her pain.

"Aww but the kids want to play." Wufei said channeling Duo. He had taken to doing that lately. Heero feared there would be a little Duo protégé running around soon. He made a mental note of knocking the sense into Wufei later.

"Sorry kids but Mommy and Daddy want to have some alone time." Heero said leading Andrika out of the room.

"Hey don't be making any moves on my girl." Duo called once they were at the doorway.

That prompted Andrika to look over Heero's shoulder and stick her tongue out at Duo.

"Coming from the girl who complains about not enough adult time. Yeah real grown up Andrika…" His calls became fainter as they reached the front door…"I can think of a lot of better uses for that tongue."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are sick and twisted?" Trowa said calmly from the other room.

And with that Heero and Andrika stepped outside. Once the door was shut they looked at each other and a small laugh escaped their lips.

"Shall we?" Heero asked offering his arm.

"We shall," Andrika said linking her arm with his, "So if I'm not mistaken that was a joke back there Heero Yuy. Who knew underneath that icy exterior was someone that can put Duo in his place." She said smiling to him.

"Duo needs to be put in his place every now and again." He said staring ahead.

"True." She said wondering why the mood was tense all of the sudden. Looking to Heero; his stoic expression made her want to see what was going on in his head.

"What is it going to take to get you to come out of the shell Mr. Yuy?" She asked.

"I don't follow." He said.

"Some people build up defense mechanisms to not let people get close. Some people put up brick walls. In your case we are dealing with the Great Wall of China. What is it going to take to bring the human out in you?" She asked.

He stopped and looked at her. He looked at her as if he had never seen her before. Her long brunette hair danced in the wind behind her. In the dwindling sunlight her emerald eyes dazzled with color. They were aglow with the energy that was contagious, not exhausting like Duo's. But more than her spunk in those impossibly green eyes he saw her sincerity. He saw that she really intended to help him. She really did want to know what he was like. She had never asked him something like that before. But then again they had never really spent any time alone together. What made him pull her away from the rest of the group? Why did he want to tell her everything he had ever feared, or held close to his heart? This was all very new to him. He never had anyone truly care about him before.

"Heero? Are you alright?" Andrika asked. Her voice pulled him up from a pool he didn't know he was drowning in.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said with his voice falling flat.

"You are perpetually fine. There is never anything wrong with you," She said somewhat defeated, "Can anyone get through to you?" She asked with a small smile.

"If anyone could it would be you." He said not looking at her.

The tone of his voice took her off guard and it was her turn to wonder. It was so sudden, without hesitation; like he had wanted to say that for awhile now. Was he being sincere or just pandering to her prying? Her mind swirled with what it all meant. She found her self staring intently at the pavement as if it would give her all of life's answers. Did she really want to get through to Heero, see what he was really like? If anything it would be a full time job. What would change in him if she did? Apparently since she showed up he has seemed more comfortable with the group and has left most of his icy glares behind. The death ray that emanated from his eyes sometimes when he looked at you seemed to be dismantled for good, at least according to Quatre. There were sometimes when he surprised her with a joke here or a small smile when he thought no one else was watching there. What other surprises were in store for her? How would she do this? A-ha! Her specialty…compromise.

"How about this Heero, if there, for any reason at all is something you want to talk about; I don't care about what. You can come to me. I will always listen. I don't care how menial or stupid it may sound. I will never turn a deaf ear. This way I am not forcing you to do anything that you are uncomfortable with. But if I do this, you have to promise that you will try to open up a bit." She said.

They reached the park near their home and stood on top of a little knoll that over looked a large pond. There they stopped and their arms fell to their sides as they watched the sunset over the city.

"You drive a head bargain Agent Valentine but I accept." He said finally, his dry delivery almost masking the fact that it was a joke.

"Go ahead I know you want to say it. We will say it together." She said elbowing him a bit and smiling that mega watt smile.

"Mission accepted." They said together after a short pause.

With that the familiar sound of Andrika's laughter followed. And then there it was, the even that she had been waiting for. Heero actually cracked a real genuine smile. And it was at his own expense. He was actually smiling at himself. She smiled a smile that screamed that she was a genius and had made a serious breakthrough. He looked to her and shook his head. With that she and Heero settled in a comfy spot and proceeded with the bonding experience.

Meanwhile Duo and Wufei on a somewhat covert and perilous operation ad followed their unsuspecting comrades. Dressed to the T in camouflage, with tall leather boots, Duo held a clipboard for no apparent reason, and Wufei had binoculars hanging around his neck. The mismatched pair hid quite conspicuously behind a park bench and watched.

"So what do you think Wu-man?" Duo asked grabbing the binoculars that were around Wufei's neck, pulling him uncomfortably close and choking him ever so slightly.

"I don't know, things got a bit heavy there for a minute but I can recognize that woman's laughter a mile away. I fear that it has once again become lighthearted." Wufei reported to Duo.

"This simply won't do Wuffles." Duo said a little too seriously for the situation.

_Wuffles?_ Wufei questioned to himself, but remembered that he was with Duo and let it go.

"What do you plan on doing?" Wufei asked a little afraid of what he was going to hear.

"I'm going in." Duo said quite over dramatically as he stood.

"Don't do it man! It's not worth it! It's too dangerous!" He called jokingly.

* * *

Chapter 2…I little serious here, and lighthearted there. Giving you the jist of what the relationship between Andrika and Heero is going to be like. That and I finally explained what Andrika looks like! Gasp! Had to add the odd couple of Duo and Wufei in there for pure comedy's sake. Hope you all liked it. And please remember to review. This is my first fic so I want to hear what everyone wants to say. The more reviews the more I want to post!! - Tessra 


	3. Necessity and Formality

Alright Chapter 3…and as far as the OOC goes I am sorry, but sometimes a little OOC isn't bad, and if you don't like it…then don't read it. So here goes.

* * *

With that Duo marched up to Heero and Andrika were sitting. Knowing someone was coming up behind her Andrika turned around quickly grabbed his ankle and pulled it out from underneath him. Duo landed flat on his back with a big thud. Realizing what she just did, she gasped slightly and moved to see if he was ok.

"Duo! Are you alright? I'm so sorry!" She said with concern.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He asked weakly.

"Duo, I'm a Preventer. It's my job to know when someone is coming up behind me," she said, "Come on let's get you home."

Wufei came running up from his hiding spot.

"What did you do to him?" He asked.

"He snuck up on me. What was I supposed to do?" She asked defensively.

"Don't worry about it. He'll be fine." Heero said as he turned away.

"Where are you going?" Wufei asked.

"I need to clear my head." He said not turning around.

He just kept walking, walked away from everything that just happened. Andrika tried not to let the hurt show in her eyes as she tended to Duo. But his lack of concern for his friend was like a smack in the face. She decided to worry about it later. She and Wufei helped the ailing American up; his right arm was around Wufei and his left around Andrika. The three of them slowly walked home. Once they reached the house, Andrika and Wufei put Duo in his bed. Wufei left Andrika to tend to Duo. She sat on the edge of Duo's bed and held his hand.

"If I'd have known you would give me this much attention I would have let you hurt me sooner." He said weakly.

"Duo what am I going to do with you?" She asked with a laugh.

"Well, we are going out tomorrow night still right?" He asked with the sparkle coming back in his eye.

"We sure are."

"Make it up to me then. We'll go for a night on the town, dinner, night clubs, dancing, you name it." He said as he lay back in his fluffy pillows.

She pulled his blankets up around his neck and kissed his fore head.

"Get some sleep Duo, if we are going to do all of that then you need your strength."

She stayed with him until she was sure he was asleep and then quietly exited his room and shut the door lightly. As she turned around from shutting the door she was greeted by Heero who was waiting for her.

"Oh Heero you scared me." She said as she saw him.

"How is he?" He asked.

"Snoring like you wouldn't believe. I think he has a nasal problem." She said.

She looked at him wondering how and how he could just walk away. But she figured that was just Heero, the way he always was and the way he always would be. She had almost resigned herself to never being able to see the real Heero when his words broke her train of thought.

"I'm not going to apologize for not helping with Duo. He doesn't need it. He is becoming weak because of how much you take care of him." Heero said.

His words were harsh; a stark contrast from earlier. They felt like ice in her heart. Was he really saying this? Why was he doing this?

"If there is something you want to say to me Heero just go ahead and say it." Her tone was brash. It came out a little more catty than she intended.

"I think you are doing too much. If we don't use our skills and maintain them we will become weak. There is no need for weak people." Heero said, not looking at her.

"Well then Heero if that is really what you think then we have more problems to deal with than I thought." She said.

"I guess we do." He said simply as he walked away from her.

Andrika was left there. Leaning against Duo's bedroom door wondering where the Heero from earlier was. She balled her fist in anger and couldn't believe the audacity he had. Tears welled up in her eyes as all of her self-doubts came swimming up to the surface. Telling her that she was making them weak? All she ever wanted to do was help them. Wasn't that what she was doing? There was a part of her that thought he might be right, but there was another part of her that was angry with him. Her mind swirled with thoughts of doubt and anger.

She sighed and decided that it was something that she was going to have to deal with another day. But even so she somehow didn't want to be alone. The thought of being alone made her shudder, she longed for someone to keep her company. With that she turned and faced the bedroom door behind her. Unconscious company was better than no company at all she decided. With that she went back into Duo's room. She sat in the edge of his bed again and looked at him as he was sprawled out across his bed. She shoved him out of the middle of the bed and curled up next to him. He in turn, flopped over her with his arm around her shoulders. He breathed heavily into the back of her neck as he slumbered. A few minutes later she felt herself start doze off. She felt comfortable and somehow safer with him next to her. With the sting of Heero's words still in her mind she fell into a troubled sleep.

In the morning the house was roused by Duo's squeals of joy as he found Andrika in his bed next to him. Andrika nearly hit the ceiling when she awoke to the sounds coming out his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and showered her with kisses.

"Oh I knew you loved me. I just knew you did. I can't believe that I finally hooked up with you and I don't even remember. That seems a bit unfair."

"I think my ears are bleeding!" Andrika called as all she could hear was buzzing.

Quatre and Trowa ran in Duo's room PJ's and all, and were quite surprised by what they saw. A dazed Andrika rubbing her ears with Duo wrapped around her smiling, and all of this between his sheets.

"Is this a bad time?" Trowa asked.

"No, it's not what it looks like, or what you think Duo. I just wanted some company." She said explaining herself.

"It's not really any concern of mine what you and Duo do behind closed doors, but please, next time Duo decides to scream like that, warn me." Trowa said as he turned around and went back to bed.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Quatre said with a smile on his face as he backed out of the room.

"Come on Duo did you really have to wake up the entire house?" Andrika asked as she punched him in the shoulder.

"I didn't wake up the entire house. Heero and Wufei are still asleep." Duo said defensively rubbing his arm.

"I somehow doubt that. Anyway we should be getting up. We have that goodwill luncheon this afternoon." Andrika said as she pulled Duo's blankets off of her.

"I hate these things. They call them parties but they are no fun at all." Duo said crossing his arms over his chest.

Andrika made her way to his open door, "And Duo, don't be late, Lady Une specifically said that we are to show up together. We are the faces of the Preveters after all. Showing up late just makes us look tacky"

"You got it." Duo said as he flopped back into his bed.

Once Duo and Andrika were ready they made their way to the Preventer's headquarters and were met by Lady Une and Lieutenant Noin. Duo and Andrika were in their normal Preventers uniforms and Lady Une and Lieutenant Noin were in elegant dresses. Duo hates these events, he would rather be in a losing battle than go to one of these things. He silently cursed himself for having such a great personality and being so good looking. He was certain he was being punished for being such a fun-loving person.

"So nice of you to make it on time. This is a first for you Agent Maxwell." Lady Une said as she greeted Andrika and Duo.

"Yeah yeah. Don't go telling anyone I have a reputation to uphold. The loveable slacker, that's me." Duo said.

"Slacker yes, loveable, that I'm not so sure about." Lady Une said with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Do you think that we should be going?" Noin asked the group.

Lady Une nodded and with that they made their way to the limo that was awaiting them. On the way to the luncheon Lady Une briefed them on what was going on and what they were supposed to do. The whole thing was strictly for PR, it was all about speeches and pretending to be interested in the goings on of the government. Lady Une and Noin had to be there, and Andrika and Duo were there as the faces of Preventer agents. They were chosen to give the Preventers a good name. Their task was to look good and be witty in interviews. Their prescence was to show the civilians that Preveter agents were just normal people, not blood thirsty people that only functioned properly in battle. They had to attend these things no matter how much Duo protested.

The whole things dragged on with a plethera of speeches given by elected officials in the community, and new plans being revelaed. It was all very boring, and when Duo began to nod off Andrika not so gently kicked his shin. He smiled at her and pretended to pay attention once again. On the way home Noin commended them for their good work.

"I know how much you two hate these things but they are necessary, even if they are strictly a formality."

"We know the importance of our jobs and we are happy to do whatever we can." Andrika said.

"Oh come on Agent Valentine nobody likes these things, I know you are a good liar but nobody would believe that," Lady Une said smiling at Andrika, "So I hear that the two of you have a little date tonight."

"How did you hear about that?" Andrika asked.

"It is my job to know these things. There are no rules against coworkers dating, but don't bring it into the office. And Agent Valentine don't forget about your mission tomorrow night." Lady Une said.

"Yes ma'am." Andrika and Duo said in unison.

"You two are done for the day. Go out and have fun." Noin said as she winked at them. Andrika rolled her eyes as they stepped out of the limo.

Once they returned home, it was time for Duo and Andrika to get ready for their date. Andrika took her sweet time getting ready. She was still quite miffed at what Heero had said the night before and needed time to sort her thoughts out. That and she couldn't decide on what to wear. She made her way to the living room where he was waiting and smiled at him when she reached him. His eyes sparkled with anticipation and he sprang up to meet her.

"Ready?" Duo asked.

"Sure am." She replied. She was ready to go out and have a good time with Duo. At least with him he wore his heart on his sleeve, there were no secrets with him. He was out for a good time with no complications, just good clean fun.

"Well first I thought we could go for dinner, and then I thought we could go to a few nightclubs downtown and act like normal people for a change." Duo said.

"It will be a nice change to be normal." She said flashing her 1000 watt smile.

He took her hand in his and led her out of the house. Their date was just about to begin.

* * *

This one shows a big change in Heero when Duo comes and crashes his and Andrika's party. It also shows Duo and Andrika at work with Lady Une and Lieutenant Noin, this chapter isn't really all that funny, but necessary. Hope you guys like it, but if not it's understandable. Tessra 


	4. Heero's thoughts & A date with Duo

As far as any OOC or Mary-Sue-ness that may happen in the future, I'm not changing the way I am going to write this and I am not sorry. Again, if you don't like my character or what I have done with the original characters I don't know what to tell you other than to not read this. Besides this all just for fun anyway! ) So, all of that aside, here is Chapter 4

* * *

"So what do you think is going to happen on Duo and Andrika's date?" Quatre asked Trowa and Wufei who were lounging in the kitchen and living room respectively.

"It's difficult to say but he will probably say something stupid that will make her forget that she was ever interested in him sexually. Same as always." Trowa said sipping from his glass.

"Who cares? Worst case scenario, it goes awful and they come home, awkwardness ensues for a few days and then we all get on with our lives. Best case scenario it goes well, and Maxwell gets laid. Maybe that will shut him up for a little while," Wufei said flipping through the channels of the television. Feeling the weight of Quatre's gaze burning a hole in the back of his head he added to his previous statement. "Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy but does he have to talk all of the time?"

"Do you really think Duo will blow it with her?" Quatre asked continuing the conversation.

"Regardless of what happens they still have to work together and live together." Heero said entering the room. He proceeded to the bookcase and began scanning the rows of books.

"Do you think them dating is a good idea Heero?" Quatre asked directing his attention to the Japanese man.

"It doesn't really matter what I think. They are going to do what they want regardless of what I have to say about it." Heero said flatly.

Come to think of it he hadn't really decided on his feelings about the whole situation. He hadn't really bothered to think about it. He knew how Duo felt for Andrika. He had loved her since the moment he laid eyes on her and was not shy about professing that love. Somehow the thought Duo and Andrika together just seemed wrong to him. Was it because he was afraid that he would lose her? No couldn't be, he should just be happy for his friend. But why was that so hard? Heero shifted his weight and began to frown. He finally picked up a book without looking. Quatre, Trowa and Wufei had already begun talking about something else but Heero's mind was swimming.

He retreated to the sanctuary that was his bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed. What was going on with him? Why was he…feeling these things for this woman? He knew he cared for her; he had to, it was part of the job, but this was something different, something more. He couldn't remember what made him act the way he did yesterday, somehow when Duo showed up he just shut down. The look of hurt that showed in Andrika's eye haunted his memory. With that in his mind he grabbed his coat and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going Heero?" Quatre called from the kitchen.

"Out." He said as he nearly slammed the door behind him.

He walked and walked trying to clear his head, to no avail. He passed by places he had been a hundred times but it was as if he had never seen it before. He ended up at a coffee house on the edge of town. Sipping coffee and reading the paper he finally was able to concentrate when he heard the chair across from him being pulled out. When he looked to see who was joining him he was greeted by none other than Zechs Merquise.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Heero asked his unwelcome company.

"You know Heero we should try to get along now that we are going to be working together." Zechs said flipping his long blonde hair behind his shoulders.

"I think I will leave it up to Andrika to get along with you." Heero said; his words like ice.

"Now, now there is no need to be nasty Heero. I am just here as a friend."

"We are not friends Zechs, we are allies. Nothing more, I will work with you when my mission deems it necessary but other than that I don't want to have anything to do with you." Heero said pulling the paper back up to his face.

"I know I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I am not asking you to forgive them Heero, I am just asking that we could have a somewhat amiable relationship, in and out of work."

"No thanks." Heero said not moving the paper.

"You have not changed one bit Heero Yuy." Zechs said with a smile.

Intrigued, Heero moved the paper from his face and looked at the smiling blonde.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"You would think that being socialized and without war for the past year you would have become more human. Gone are the days of endless losing battles and not knowing friend from foe. Now, things are less complicated, we are given our friends and told who the enemy is, there is no guesswork involved. It seems the other Gundam pilots have grown accustomed to this new lifestyle, but you, you resist. Why is that?"

"I wish I knew what you were talking about Zechs." Heero said trying to keep his face neutral.

"The reason Lady Une is forcing Andrika on me is so that I will become socialized to this new world order. I am not used to life without war. Lady Une intends to have Andrika show me how to live in this world. Make me regain that human element I lost so long ago. But why has she not done that for you?"

"Maybe she just doesn't like you." Heero said not knowing what else to say.

"Is it because the girl is already getting to you?" Zechs said hitting the nail on the head.

"You're out of your mind." Heero said as he stood.

"Those things you feel for her aren't just going to go away on their own Heero. You are becoming a human being just like the rest of us."

"Now that is a fate worse than death." Heero said as he exited to coffee house.

* * *

**MEANWHILE...**

As Duo and Andrika left the house they climbed into the car and drove off to a fancy restaurant. The night so far was picture perfect, she had never seen this side of Duo before, and she liked what she was seeing. Once they were finished with dinner they were still sitting at the restaurant sipping some coffee before they headed out to their next destination.

"So how am I doing so far?" Duo asked.

"Very well Mr. Maxwell I am very pleasantly surprised." She said smiling at him.

"Great. It may not come as a surprise to you that I have wanted to do this for some time now." He said leaning back in the booth and putting his hands behind his head.

"Actually it's not surprising at all. I think the daily marriage proposals for the last year kind of gave it away." She said recalling his infinite proposals.

"Hey you're a good looking girl what was I supposed to do?" He asked defensively.

She smiled at him and shook her head. Silence came between them as she looked at him. While she watched him he began to fidget. Silence was not his favorite thing in the world, especially on a date. After a few minutes passed; and he had ripped his napkin to shreds; he looked at her and fumbled for anything to start conversation again.

"So…how about that local sports team?" He asked half-heartedly. With that Andrika's attention returned to him and she gave him a puzzled expression.

"What? Duo we don't have a local sports team." She said looking at him totally confused.

His face was flush with red. Great not only could he not find anything to say to the woman of his dreams but now he looked like a total idiot. He wanted to impress her so badly, but now he felt like the date was going to be a total bust. He was just about to suggest going home when he felt something small hit his face. He looked down and saw a straw wrapper balled up in front of him. He looked at Andrika who was innocently looking around at the hustling waiters. He blinked at her not knowing what just happened but shrugged it off. Once he was immersed in thought again he felt another paper product assault his face. This time he saw the straw wrapper in Andrika's left hand that she had been trying to hide. He smiled devilishly and realized he didn't need to say anything to impress her. All he needed was to do was be himself with that in mind he began to assault her with his own arsenal of balled up napkin pieces.

With that the war began. The two began giggling like 3 years olds and throwing whatever they could find at each other. The other restaurant patrons all sent glares their way and Duo and Andrika realized they were disturbing the peace. With that the check was paid and it was time to go. They made their way to the downtown strip where all of the nightclubs were. The car was parked at they were ready to dance the night away. Once inside Duo and Andrika hung around the bar watching everyone else until Andrika decided it was time to dance.

"Come on Duo let's dance." Andrika called over the music that was way too loud.

"What? You want my pants?" He yelled.

"No. Let's Dance!" She screamed to him.

"WHAT?!?" He called back to her.

With that she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the dance floor. They stood facing each other and began to get into the rhythm. She put her arms around his neck and he put his hands on her hips as they swiveled to the beat. To Andrika there was nothing sexier than a man who could move and Duo was not a bad dancer. He didn't look like a dead fish flopping around the dance floor like she had anticipated. The more drinks they had the closer they danced to one another. Their bodies were completely touching and swaying in to the music when Duo looked into her sparkling green eyes and never wanted this moment to end. After she put her head back on his shoulder he motioned for them to go outside.

They made their way hand in hand to the park where had Duo spied on her and Heero just the day before. They sat on a park bench and breathed heavily from all of the dancing and sweating in the cramped nightclub.

"So…having a good time yet?" Duo asked her.

"Duo this is the most fun I have had in….ever. I have never had so much fun with one person. I'm so glad we did this." She said as she put her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad we did too," He said as he smiled. The moment was perfect, exactly how he had pictured it, "So, I don't know about you, but I think I have had one too many to drive home." He said still embracing her.

"Yeah me too." She said as they both began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Well I suppose that means we are going to hoof it." He said as he stood.

"I guess so." She said as she stood behind him and proceeded to jump on his back.

He wrapped his arms around her legs and happily welcomed the piggy-back ride. Once at the house Quatre opened the door when he heard the merry couple singing some incoherent turn at the front door. He saw Duo picking through his keys unable to find the correct one.

"Hey you two. How did everything go?" He asked as he stepped aside to let them in. Andrika slid off of Duo's back and he took her hand and headed for the kitchen.

"It went great Q-man. Wish you could have been there. How's it going Wuffles?" Duo said as he noticed Wufei in the living room and sat in the kitchen.

"Are you drunk Maxwell?" Wufei asked standing up cautiously.

"That depends on how you classify drunk." Duo answered.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." Wufei said deciding to go to the safety of his own quarters, god only knew what would happen when Duo Maxwell got drunk. All Wufei knew was that he didn't want to be in the line of fire.

"Are you two alright?" Quatre asked when he saw the state the two were in.

"We are more than fine. We are awesome." Andrika said putting a hand on Quatre's shoulder.

"Ok, I'm sure you are. Look I am going to my room now seeing as it is 1 am, if you two need anything just come and get me." He said his concern ever apparent.

"You got it." Duo said pointing at Quatre.

Andrika sat next to Duo at the island in the kitchen when Quatre exited the room.

"So you had a good time Ms. Valentine." He asked as he put his arm around her back.

"I sure did Mr. Maxwell. Thanks for showing me such a good time." She said as she leaned into him.

Duo took her face in his hand and pulled her eyes to meet his.

"Anytime." He said in a serious tone. In an instant their shared gaze had sobered them both up. He stared into her fiery green eyes and closed the gap between their lips. The kiss was something Duo had been longing for; he had always wanted to taste her lips.

The kiss had only just begun when the door opened again. Andrika and Duo broke their kiss to see Heero standing in the doorway with a somewhat shocked/hurt look on his face.

* * *

In this one I tried to keep Andrika out of it for a bit so as to show the relationships between the other characters and how they felt on the whole thing. What's going on with Heero? Where the hell did Zechs come from? What happens when you mix a confused Heero with a semi-drunk Duo and an embarrassed Andrika? Stay tuned to find out!!

Oh and thanks for the great reviews!! I love to hear all of the feedback!! - Tessra


	5. Let the Games Begin

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all for fun, no profit.

Notes: Sorry this one took so long guys, I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen in this chapter and I have rewritten in about 3 times. It gets a little angsty here with Heero but it shall be sorted out soon.

"Heero." Andrika said as she pulled away from Duo her face red with embarrassment.

"I take it the date went well?" Heero asked.

"Yeah it did…" Andrika began.

"How wonderful for the two of you," He said the sarcasm dipping in his voice, "I'm going to bed." He said as he turned down the hallway.

"Heero wait." Andrika called to him as she let go of Duo's hand and went after the Japanese man.

"I'm sorry I interrupted. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving me alone I've had a long night." He said turning away from her.

While he turned she grabbed his hand. The touch sent a shiver through his body.

"Heero, is there something wrong? Did I do something wrong?" She asked her eyes quivering with concern.

"No. Not everything is about you, you know?" He asked.

"Heero that was a little unnecessary don't you think?" She asked her eyes narrowing.

"No. I had a bad day and I am not in a good mood, that doesn't automatically mean that you did something wrong. I do things completely independent of you, my mood has nothing to do with you." He replied, the sarcasm gone from his voice; his tone was now just harsh.

"That's not what I'm saying. You have been in a bad mood since you left the park yesterday, since I was with you last I thought it might have something to do with me. And please find it in your heart to forgive me for caring about my friend." Her last sentence articulated the anger that was now swelling within her.

"Why does everyone want to be my friend tonight? I don't understand it," Heero said raising his voice just a bit, "We are coworkers Andrika, not friends."

"So that is how it's going to be then? I guess I was sadly mistaken in assuming that we were friends as well. Then fine, if you just want to be coworkers then that is how I will treat you." She said as she dropped his hand.

With that they turned their back on one another; neither of them sure if they were friend of foe; or even what to do next. Andrika felt a tear slide mercilessly down her cheek. She was not going to cry because of this, if she meant nothing to him then he meant nothing to her. She wiped her cheek and made her way back into the kitchen where a concerned Duo was eagerly awaiting her return. Heero in the meantime closed his eyes and silently cursed himself for the way he was acting. He couldn't help it; he didn't know why he was being so nasty to her. Now he was going to lose her completely to Duo. What was the matter with him? He decided to sleep on it and try to reconcile thing in the morning.

"Everything alright?" Duo asked wiping the wetness left from her tears off of her cheeks.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." She lied.

Duo pulled her in for a hug and she welcomed the embrace. She wasn't sure what she did but it had to have been something. But if this was really how he wanted things then she wasn't going to go against his wishes. This was the beginning of a new chapter in the house. Just like it had been when Andrika first showed up, changes were afoot. The relations between the residents were changing. Duo and Andrika were headed down the path of romance, (maybe) and Heero was just as stoic as ever. It seemed some things would never change.

That night Andrika joined Duo is his bed for the second time. This time he was aware of the company that she needed and did his best to be supportive. He laid on his back with her head on his chest and his arm around her, stroking her hair. She again fell into a troubled sleep.

The next morning Heero decided that he should apologize to Andrika for the way he had acted towards her. He went to her room and knocked lightly on the door. When no response came he opened the door and saw her bed vacant. It remained untouched from when she last occupied it 2 nights ago.

_She must've slept with Duo again._ With that he sighed and made his way to the Americans room. He opened the door opting to just rouse Andrika and let Duo sleep; in the massacre of blankets and sheets he saw Duo spread across the bed. He saw Andrika curled up on the edge of his bed with his hand tightly clasped in hers. He crept up to her and put his hand over her mouth. When her eyes fluttered open he put a finger to his lips for her to remain quiet. She nodded and he motioned for the door. She slid gently out of bed. Duo shuffled in bed before cuddling up with a pillow and mumbling something incoherent in his sleep. Heero led her into the kitchen and offered a cup of coffee as a sign of his goodwill. She accepted a bit confused, but was thankful nonetheless. He took her hand and led her to the veranda. Everything outside looked cheerful in the morning light. They sat at the table in the corner facing one another. They stared at each other for a moment waiting for the other to speak. Heero broke the silence first.

"Look, I am sorry for the way I acted last night. I was taking my frustrations out on you." He began, not daring to look at her.

"Ok." She said still unsure of his motives.

"I am happy for you and Duo but…" His words trailed off.

"But…?" She asked trying to get him to spit it out.

"But, I don't know. I don't know what has been going on lately but I am very confused, and I am not used to being confused." He said quickly. He hated being weak, but if he had to confess to anyone she was the best person to confess to. She wouldn't make fun of him like the others would.

"Because you think you are in love with me too and are afraid that you can't compete with Duo so you shut down completely when you see him and I together. Am I in the ballpark?" She asked looking at him.

His jaw dropped for a moment and he let the shock show on his face. He looked at her wondering how in the world she could have possibly known something that he wasn't even sure about.

"How did you…I mean…what? Me in love with you? You must've had more to drink last night than you thought Andrika." He said blushing.

"You are a very bad liar Heero Yuy," She said straightening in her chair, "And I didn't say that you were in love with me, I said you think you are in love with me."

"I'm not lying." He said concentrating on the blue coffee mug in his hands as if it would make her accusations go away.

"Yes you are. Heero, people are my specialty. It is my job to know when people are lying. And I hate to say it sweet cheeks but you are lying to me. You are afraid that while you are trying to sort things out I am going to fall for Duo and be forever out of reach." She said folding her arms over her chest.

"This is ridiculous, I'm sorry I even tried to apologize to you." He said as he completely changed his attitude.

"Look Heero, deny it all you want but when this comes back to bite you in the ass don't come running to me for help. The reason that you are so confused is because you don't know what love is. Fear is kind of new emotion for you too. No one has ever tried to help you before, they have all tried to change you and I haven't. That is why you think you are in love with me. It's not bad Heero but you need to decide what you are feeling here. If I am totally wrong about everything I have been picking up from you and wrong about this whole thing than I am sorry that I jumped to conclusions. But if I'm not and you really do think that, then you need to figure out what your next move is." She said reaching across the table to touch his hands.

He jumped out of her reach and stood up.

"Look Andrika, I don't appreciate you trying to get into my head like this. I try to apologize for taking my anger out on you last night and you start talking about love. I know you are a mastermind of manipulating people and I don't know what you are trying to get at here but I thought I made it clear last night that we aren't even friends, we are coworkers, my feelings for you do not exceed the fact that I need you alive so we can work together effectively." He said looking down at her.

She didn't look at him, she couldn't. The frustration that was building up in her was a bit more than she could handle.

It was her turn to stand as she slammed both palms on the table before slowly looking to him, her voice loud with anger, "Heero you wake me up to tell me that you are sorry for the way you have been acting and tell me that you are confused about something. Now, knowing what I do for a living and my areas of expertise and the way you have been acting lately what the hell did you think I was going to come up with? This is ridiculous," she said throwing her arms up in defeat, "If you want to talk to me when you get some sense knocked into the think fucking skull of yours talk to me. Until then, you're right we aren't friends we are coworkers."

With that she left him there. She left a very confused Heero Yuy in the cheerful morning light with two cups of coffee still steaming in front of him. He slammed his fist on the table in his own rage and walked her walk away.

_What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I just be honest with her? It was foolish to think that she wouldn't pick up on that. She has unparalleled human skills. She's right, I do need to figure out what is going on in my head and decide what my next move is._

With that in mind Heero prepared to leave the house again. He heard Andrika weeping softly as he passed Duo's bedroom door, he desperately wanted to rush in and put his arms around her and tell her it was all a lie and that she was right. But it was too soon, the wounds still too fresh. He still had his own issues to deal with. Shaking his head he went out with no destination in mind.

In Duo's room Andrika quietly cried for a moment on the corner of Duo's bed. She figured there was no reason to wake him, she would regain her composure and crawl back into bed with him when she was done crying. When she turned back to check on him she saw his inquisitive indigo eyes waiting for her.

"So are you going to tell me what happened now or later?" He asked sitting up with his arms folded on his chest.

"I'm sorry Duo I didn't know you were awake." She said softly. Smiling slightly at the look of his sleep tousled hair.

"Come on, you just had a screaming match with Heero, I guarantee you everyone in the house is awake." He said looking at her.

"I don't think that everyone…" She began but was cut off by Quatre knocking on the door.

"Is everything ok Andrika?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah we heard some yelling. What is going on?" Trowa asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Thanks for the concern guys. Go back to sleep." She called to the door.

"Ok. If you need anything at all let me know." Quatre added before she could hear footsteps leading away from the door.

She looked back to Duo who had an 'I told you so' look on his face.

"Don't even." She said as she pointed to him.

"Come here." He said as he held out his arms for her.

She curled up in his arms as he petted her hair.

"So what did the big bad Yuy monster do this time?" He asked.

Alright, this one is nowhere near as cute and light-hearted as the rest but the funny will be back. Next we will find out what Lady Une has planned for Andrika and Zechs on their "date." Hilarity ensues!!

Thanks for all of the support everyone. I really appreciate it. -Tessra


	6. Infiltration and Extraction

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, all for fun, no profit.

Notes: This chapter and the next chapter are going to be happening simultaneously. You'll understand why later I promise.

* * *

"Oh nothing. Nothing that I shouldn't have expected. If Heero and I seem different around each other just don't ask questions ok?" She asked looking at him.

Her eyes gave nothing away. He tried to look in the depths of her deep green eyes for insight but there were no answers for him held within her bright eyes. He sighed and cupped her face with his hands.

"You can't expect me not to ask questions. But I will try to be understanding. What's going on with him anyway?"

"I wish I knew Duo. I really do." She looked up to him and his indigo eyes were deep in thought. As she looked at him she realized just how perfect he really was. He was very attractive, smart and funny. Everything a girl could ask for. There was something about him that made people want to be around him. He was the life of the party and he knew it.

"What?" He asked after she had been staring at him intently for a few moments.

"I didn't say anything." She answered innocently.

"You were staring at me. Is there something on my face? I have dried drool on the side of my mouth don't I?" He asked covering his mouth.

"No Duo. There is nothing on your face. That's not what I was looking at. I was looking at you, all of you. I was realizing how prefect you are." She said smiling at him.

He smiled right back at her and kissed her. Their kiss was like electricity, the passion between them only truly realized when their lips touched. Every care in the world was as far away when they were together like this. Nothing could touch them now.

* * *

**Meanwhile outside:**

"Where the hell is Yuy?" Wufei asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

He was becoming more and more agitated lately. He was searching for a part of himself that he felt he lost in the war. With that came changes in his personality, but he slowly began to realize that he didn't need to change at all. He just needed to modify himself to fit in a time of peace. When he was done he would be better than ever, Wufei 2.0 if you will. But in the meantime during his search he would become frustrated and take it out on the rest of the house, like today.

"I don't know. But considering that fight he was in this morning he probably took off. He never has his phone on him and probably doesn't know what time it is." Trowa said leaning against the car looking around the painstakingly normal neighborhood.

This neighborhood was the last place anyone would think to look for Preventer agents. Exactly the way they liked it. Trowa admittedly felt a little strange leaving the circus behind, but he couldn't pass up the chance to help maintain peace. Something he fought so hard to obtain, he would be damned if it went up in smoke while he had anything to do with it.

"Do you think we should just go without him?" Quatre asked a little hesitantly. Nobody really wanted to go without Heero, he was the team leader and in charge of specializing different areas of the mission to play to each of their strengths. Trowa was in charge of surveillance, Duo was in charge of infiltration, Andrika handled creating a diversion; infiltrating the operation from within itself, usually a week before the rest of the mission was set to take place and making preparations for their arrival, Wufei was in charge of weapons, Quatre was the expert on time management and escape route if necessary, and Heero was in charge of making sure everyone had what they needed in order to succeed.

"We can't Winner. He is in charge of making the overall plan, we can't all just go off on our own and try to bring this thing down. We need him to make the plan." Wufei said, his frustration boiling to the surface.

"I think we just will have to make due without him. We can't wait any longer, we either have to find a substitute of go without." Trowa replied.

"Do you think we can have Duo help us instead?" Quatre asked offering and help possible.

"I suppose. I'll go get him." Trowa said as he began to walk away from the car.

"Why is it so hard for people to be where they need to be when they need to be there?" Wufei asked obviously very angry now.

"Come of Wufei cut him some slack. He has had a rough couple of days. I mean you have seen him, he doesn't know what he is doing anymore. He's confused."

"But this is his job. He is the best at it, if anything it will take his mind off of whatever the hell is going on with Andrika." Wufei said shaking his head at the thought of Heero. He was the last person Wufei thought would be affected by girl trouble.

With that Trowa came walking out of the house with Duo skittering behind him. Hopping on one foot while putting a shoe on; he was disheveled to say the least.

"I'm ready." He exclaimed excitedly.

"You don't look it." Wufei said looking over his comrade disapprovingly.

"Do I ever look ready for anything?" Duo asked.

"He has a point." Quatre said quickly.

"Can we go? I want to get this over with. This mission doesn't sound to promising and with our leader MIA we are put in kind of a tight spot." Wufei said just wanting the day to end.

"Don't worry Wuffles everything will be fine. Duo Maxwell is here to save the day." Duo said inflating his ego as his comrades got into the car and rolled their eyes at him.

Once at the Preventers station they were called upstairs immediately by Lady Une. They were to begin planning stages for invisible infiltration.

"This is a very important mission. I expect all of you to work together at the level we expect of you…" she began without looking at the group assembled on the other side of her desk, "Where is Agent Yuy?" She sighed realizing the team leader was missing.

"He was in a bit of a tussle with Agent Valentine this morning and has been AWOL ever since ma'am." Wufei reported.

"Alright, no need for formalities. I give you all permission to speak freely. What the hell is going on at that house?" She asked putting her fingers to her forehead. A headache already well on its way.

"Heero and Andrika have been at it for about a day or so. They got into a fight this morning that resulted in yelling. Heero left, we have no idea where he is, and Andrika is still at the house no doubt preparing for the goodwill mission you have scheduled for her tonight." Trowa answered efficiently.

"And the little fight with his would-be girlfriend is an excuse for him to miss the mission today?" She asked exasperated.

"No, but you didn't ask us to give an excuse for him; you asked us to tell us what was going on." Duo said smartly. Lady Une shot him a look that would have slayed a lesser man, "And she is not his would-be girlfriend."

"So that is what this is about. Girl trouble? I think it is time I had Andrika removed from that house. Sometimes she is more trouble than she is worth." Lady Une said shaking her head.

"NO!" Duo exclaimed; blushing slightly from the wide eyed looks his friends gave him, he recoiled. "...I mean; there is no need to remove her from the house Corneal Une. This will work itself out."

"No, I think it is time for her to spend some time away from the 5 of you. Besides I was planning on pulling her from missions anyway. It is time for her to work behind the scenes. I can't risk my top interrogator being killed by some renegade on a power trip. I will arrange for her to pack her things while you are away. She will be gone when you return. Try not to let this affect your mission agents. Especially you Maxwell; I know you have feelings for her but it is important to your future. Understood?" Lady Une was firm in her decision and there was going to be no talking their way out of this one.

A little deterred they obtained the information about the mission and began discussing the best way to go about completing it.

"I think if we go in through here we can get into the duct work and bypass most of security. That will limit the damages and lower the probability of being ambushed. Duo you are the master of invisible infiltration do you see anything I'm not?" Trowa asked looking over the map.

Duo, lost in his own little world was not paying attention to anything that was being said. He was busy cursing Heero and trying to find ways to convince Lady Une to keep Andrika in the house.

"Duo Maxwell are you even paying attention?" Quatre asked noticing the spaced look in Duo's eyes.

"Of course, something about a mission and killing people, destroying things all of that fun stuff. When are we leaving? I want to get home." He said trying his best to sound like he had any idea what was going on.

"I get the feeling that he would be more useful if he wasn't here." Wufei said.

"Come on guys, that didn't bother you at all. Andrika has to move out all because Heero is acting like an irresponsible jerk, does anyone even know why he is being this way?" Duo asked completely shifting topics.

"Duo, none of us like it but we can't change it. Corneal Une has made up her mind. Besides thinking about it now won't help matters either, we have a mission to complete. When we get back you can go talk to the therapist about all of it." Quatre said helpfully.

"No I can't Quatre. The on-staff Preventer therapist is Andrika. I doubt if I went to see her for a therapy session I wouldn't actually be going there for therapy." Duo said folding his arms over his chest.

"Am I the only one who gives damn about this mission?" Wufei exploded. "Duo, deal with it when we get back, she will still be there, she isn't going to be killed or anything. I'm sure the two of you will find a way around it if necessary. We have an important mission in front of us that needs to be dealt with. There is a renegade faction that is planning on threatening the world peace that we all fought so diligently to obtain. I would like to wipe out this thing so I can go home and not worry about being engulfed in a mobile suit battle." He yelled. Breathing heavily he slowly regained his composure.

He liked Andrika and everything but Lady Une was right, she was causing trouble in their group and the problem needed to be removed in order for them to function together at the level they were expected.

"We can go in through that duct, go into that room, blow out the door, cause attention, knock out a few guys, steal their uniforms and march our way to the headquarters in the middle of the building and lock ourselves in the room with the group leaders. Pretty standard we've done in a million times." Duo said defeated.

"Duo if you don't want to do this drop out now. You would be risking all of our lives if you are not 100 percent in on this." Quatre said sympathetically.

"No, I want to help. I'm just a little distracted right now. I'll be fine. Personally I think we should nip this one in the butt before it gets too big."

"We'll finalize plans on the way to the base. Thanks for finally joining us Maxwell." Wufei said as they all left the briefing room and prepared for departure.

The trip was long and tedious. It was hard to concentrate on the mission at hand with everything that was swirling in Duo's mind. He wasn't sure what to think about Heero's behavior lately. And when he finally had everything going well with Andrika Lady Une snatched her away. Something had to be done. But alas Wufei was right; obsessing about it now wasn't going to do any good. They had a mission to take care of. Disputes at home would be handled in due time. On the way there they once again went over the plans and the blueprints of the building they were trying to infiltrate. This was a routine operation, same as all of the others. But why was he so nervous?

* * *

Alright so here it is, hope you guys like it, I know it doesn't have anything funny in it like the others but it will return I swear. -Tessra 


	7. Girl time

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. Sucks i know.

Note: This chapter is going on at the same time as the last one. This one explains what Andrika was doing while the boys are out preparing for their mission. Hope you like it!

* * *

Andrika sighed as she flopped back into Duo's vacant bed. Heero's disappearing act had caused the others to take Duo on the mission to help out. So now, she was left in an empty house, with no real agenda for the day until she had to go out with Zechs that evening.

The thought of Heero brought a frown to her face. He was acting so strangely lately and she was so sure she had figured out why. But his refusal to either accept what was happening or ignore it was making life very difficult. She had long wondered what was beneath his stoic exterior. How was it possible to be close to 5 people but yet remain at arms length at all times? Heero Yuy was a great mystery that she was determined to solve.

But right now above all else she was angry with him. Accusing her of trying to manipulate him, she would never manipulate anyone for selfish gain. Granted she could manipulate almost anyone but never just for kicks. There was something brewing in his mind that he was very unwilling to share. And when she pressed for it, he snapped. His accusations alone made her feel like a bad person but the way he looked at her…It was only for a moment and she didn't realize it until now, it almost resembled to cry for help. Like he wanted to her to rebuff any attempt of his to dismiss what she thought. She wasn't a fortune-teller damnit she couldn't read his mind and probably didn't want to. The mind of a 19 year old male was something she didn't really want to go prodding around in; Heero Yuy or not.

Rolling over she looked at the clock and decided that she would go shopping for the remaining time she had before her 'date' with Zechs. Girly yes, but she was a girl and needed to indulge every now and again. Just because she was constantly surrounded by men didn't mean she needed to act like one.

She got dressed and left the house. Once outside she obligatorily waved at their neighbor as she looked up at the clear sky. It was a beautiful day, not too hot not too cold; perfect for any activity. Admiring the gorgeous day she walked into town with a smile on her face. When she reached town she walked along the street watching all of the busy people that frequented downtown this time of day. As she stood at a crosswalk she got the distinct impression that someone was watching her. Sure enough there was a man standing next to her with a suit and sunglasses on. Probably the young professional type, she rolled her eyes and he approached her and pulled his sunglasses down to get a better look.

"What is a fine young lady like you doing all alone in a place like this?" He asked smoothly.

"Nothing that concerns you. But thank you for your concern." She said a little more harshly than she intended.

"Come on baby, I'll take good care of you. How about a date?" He asked reaching for her arm.

"I don't think so." She said as he grabbed her arm. She again rolled her eyes, only this time because her personal space was being so obviously violated.

"I just want to show you a good time. How about a little compassion here?" He asked being very persistent.

"Afraid I'm fresh out of that stuff," She said as she took his arm and twisted it behind his back, "Now if you don't mind I would like to continue my day in peace. Thank you." She finished as she let go and crossed the street with the mass of other people waiting. She continued down the street before reaching her favorite clothing store and began browsing when her phone rang.

"Andrika Valentine." She answered.

"Agent Valentine, how are we doing today?" Came Lady Une's voice from the other line.

"I am great ma'am, how are you?" She asked flipping through a rack of pants.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. I am removing you from active duty as well as removing you from your current living situation at the Winner estate." Lady Une said matter-of-factly. Not one for small talk she always got straight to the point.

"I'm sorry?" Andrika said forgetting her formalities and a bit stunned.

"I decided that I need you behind the scenes now, I want you to become a part time trainer, full time interrogator and more involved in press related issues. I need you here at the headquarters more than I need you in the field." Her voice remained flat with no emotions.

"I understand that part ma'am but would you mind elaborating on why I am to leave my living situation?" She asked trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Well, I appears that you and Agent Yuy have been getting into quite a few arguments lately, and I decided that since I am pulling you from active duty with them that there is no need for you 6 of you to remain in constant contact. We have a very nice apartment set up for you in the outskirts of the city. A lovely place fully furnished and paid for." She began trying to sell the apartment to Andrika.

"Understood ma'am, when am I to be out?" She asked fighting back the wave of emotions that was crashing against her.

"We actually have some personnel over there now collecting your things. I would recommend staying out for the day until it is time to ready for you meeting with Agent Merquise." Lady Une said. The resentment in the young agent's voice, although restrained, hurt her to hear.

"Yes ma'am. Anything else?" She asked blankly.

"Do be careful of Agent Maxwell, I fear he is quite taken with you. Good night Agent Valentine and good luck tonight." Lady Une finished and hung up quickly before Andrika could get a word in.

Sighing Andrika gave up her futile attempt at shopping and went to her favorite coffee shop and sat reading the paper, just as Heero had done the night before.

"ANDY!!" Yelled a voice from the near the door.

Andrika put the paper down hearing her name and looked to the door to see Hilde coming her way. Andrika met Hilde through Duo and they became fast friends, although Andrika suspected she was the one who put the idea of Duo and Andrika together in his head. Hilde was smaller than Andrika in height as well as general build. Her eyes sparkled with genuine excitement. Hilde was really the only friend outside of the Gundam pilots that she had.

"How are you Hilde?" Andrika asked standing and embracing her friend before returning to her chair.

"I'm great. How are you doing? You look a little pissed off." Hilde commented while taking the chair across from her at the small table.

"Is it that obvious? I just got a bad phone call. Not what I wanted to hear." Andrika said plainly.

"What happened?" Hilde asked excitedly, she was always interested in the goings on of the Preventers and curious to see how Duo was doing in his little quest to win Andrika's heart.

"Well, I just got a call from Cornel Une saying that I am being pulled from active duty and from my house." Andrika began.

"Wow, kind of a double whammy huh? So what happened? Does that mean you were like demoted or something?" Hilde asked trying to piece things together.

"No, she says that my skills are better suited for behind the scenes work. And the housing situation is because Heero and I have been fighting and he walked out this morning and didn't show up for the mission. So they kicked me out. Makes sense right?" Andrika said letting her emotions get the best of her.

"Bummer." Hilde said simply.

"They have people at the house collecting my things and bringing them to my new place right now." She said sipping her tea.

"Where is it? Can we go see? That would be fun?" Hilde said trying to console her friend.

"I don't even know where it is. I figured I was going to stay here for a bit, go back to the house and make sure that I have everything, head to my new place, check it out and then get ready for my mission this evening." Andrika said not wanting to do any of it. She suddenly really wanted to go home and be in Duo's arms.

"Ooo, what kind of mission?" Hilde asked; her interest peaked.

"Don't get so excited, it's just a goodwill mission. You remember Zechs Merquise right?" Andrika asked her friend.

"Of course I do Andy. I tried to sabotage his operation near the end of the war and almost got killed. That is something you don't really forget." She said chuckling at her friend.

For someone who had supernatural human interaction skills like Andrika, Hilde feared she was clueless sometimes. But nonetheless she loved her, and couldn't wait to be the maid of honor in her and Duo's wedding.

"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway he just came back from god knows where and Corneal Une wants me to assimilate him into the peaceful world. She fears he won't be able to fit in during peaceful times without some help."

"So a date?" Hilde asked quite acutely.

"Pretty much yeah. But I didn't have the option to say no." Andrika said smiling knowing the next question she was going to be asked.

"So how are things with you and Duo?" Hilde asked with a devilish grin.

"Well, you will be very happy to know that I went out on a date with him last night."

"And?" Hilde asked practically salivating at the idea of Duo actually _not_ screwing something up for once.

"It went very well." Andrika said keeping the details to herself.

"Did he kiss you?" Hilde said getting ready to jump out of her seat.

"Not that it's any of you business but yes." With that Hilde nearly hit the ceiling she was so excited.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. I'm so glad you finally gave him a chance. You two are so cute together and he is head over heels for you." Hilde exclaimed so excited for her friends.

Duo and Hilde realized pretty early on that they weren't ever going to be a couple. They were too much alike, they settled on good friends, and after watching Duo's failed attempts at getting girlfriends for the time they were staying together on L2 before he got the Preventers job, she knew she needed to intervene. As soon as she met Andrika she knew that this was the girl for Duo, so she planted a few ideas in his head and her hard work was finally paying off.

"Calm down, Hilde. I just decided that it was time to give him a chance, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. But, now that we won't be seeing each other as much it is difficult to say what will happen." Andrika said as she shrugged and slunk back into her chair.

"Well, then it appears that you two will just have to date like normal human beings. Oh my god; what a concept!!" Hilde said mocking her.

"Hey. Nothing about Duo is anywhere near normal." Andrika said throwing a straw wrapper at Hilde.

"Yeah, and it makes your heart melt doesn't it? He's so dreamy." Hilde cooed, Andrika however was not amused.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up," Andrika said looking at her watch, "Oh, I have to go. I have to hit up the old house and find my new place and then get ready for a date with Zechs." Andrika said finishing her tea.

"What are you guys going to talk about? Doesn't his sister hate you?" Hilde asked.

"Yeah, but what are you going to do? I didn't do anything personally to his sister, we just don't see eye to eye. I think he can respect that. He is a good man after all." Andrika said gathering her things strewn across the table.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh by the way, you never told me what you and Heero are fighting about." Hilde said eyeing her friend as she stood.

"It's complicated and I don't have the time right now. Sorry about unloading everything on you like that. It is very seldom that I get any female interaction anymore. I appreciate the company." Andrika said as she stood next to Hilde.

"Well, now that you have your own place we can have slumber parties. You can tell me about Heero when I come over the check the place out ok. Give me a call when you are settled." Hilde said rising to meet Andrika.

"You got it. Thanks Hilde, it was nice to see you." Andrika said embracing Hilde.

"Anytime Andy." Hilde said as she waved to Andrika who was scurrying out of the coffee house.

* * *

Ok here i wanted to bring in a female friend fo Andrika to kind of let all of her feelings out on. As i am sure all the girls know it is all well and dandy to have guy friends and talk to them, there is no substitute for female friends. You can just talk to differently to them, much easier and they tend to understand much better. All right so there it is. I also wanted to set up a bit about Andrika and Relena's relationship to make way for the date that she and Zechs will have. I have ideas for all of it. And believe it or not but that part about the guy a the crosswalk actually happened to me! Crazy huh. Hope you liked it and thanks for the support! - Tessra


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